Greg here.
On Friday afternoon Jincy and I made the short walk to Dunkin' Donuts to catch up. It has become the place we go about every 6 or 8 weeks so I can hear about her young faith journey and encourage her in her new walk. Jincy trusted Christ on March 17 last year. She shared about her growth and the ways she has seen the Holy Spirit work in her heart.
We also talked about baptism. Jincy was very close to a decision about making public her faith through baptism. She decided to take the next step of obedience. On Sunday afternoon she joined ranks with three other girls from our fellowship who all worship at the same local church and were taking this next step of faith together. The pastor allows someone who has been part of the faith journey to assist him with the baptism. I previously wrote about the honor of being asked by another student, Candace, to help with her baptism. Jincy asked the same of me and I was equally privileged to help.
Jincy, Candace, Monica, and Caylynn all publicly professed their faith and were baptized on Sunday!
Showing posts with label ACF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ACF. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, September 11, 2009
Refresh in the Poconos!
Here we come!We are leaving this afternoon for a weekend retreat in the Poconos with our ACF ( Arcadia Christian Fellowship) group. We have 21 people going this year! Our theme is REFRESH. Gibson Largent, a pastor from a local church is going to be our speaker for the weekend.
Please pray for a meaningful time together as a community and an intense time of spiritual growth our students.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The first ACF and (almost) family emergencies!
Last night was the first ACF large group meeting of the semester followed by the after party in our apartment. We had a good turn out for the first meeting. There were quite a few new faces, which is always exciting. We were also blessed by several people from local churches who brought some yummy snacks!
Now to the almost family emergency....(I KNEW I should have put Caed and Abby to sleep instead of letting them watch a movie!)
About halfway through the after party Caed runs out into the living room with a panicked look on his face telling me to follow him. He said "Abby swallowed a magnetix marble." I run down the hall thinking she is choking. She was breathing fine but very scared... All I could think at that point was...what a great night for a trip to the emergency room!
We called the Dr and she said that since it was small, round and smooth it should pass by itself. Whew! Never a dull moment around here!
Here is a pic of the magnetix piece.
Praying for a swift and painless passing;)
Now to the almost family emergency....(I KNEW I should have put Caed and Abby to sleep instead of letting them watch a movie!)
About halfway through the after party Caed runs out into the living room with a panicked look on his face telling me to follow him. He said "Abby swallowed a magnetix marble." I run down the hall thinking she is choking. She was breathing fine but very scared... All I could think at that point was...what a great night for a trip to the emergency room!
We called the Dr and she said that since it was small, round and smooth it should pass by itself. Whew! Never a dull moment around here!
Here is a pic of the magnetix piece.
Praying for a swift and painless passing;)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
ACF Leaders Team
We just had our first ACF leaders meeting for this year. Oh how we have missed these guys! (And by "guys" I mean 1 guy and 10 girls including me!)When we first began working with ACF 2 years ago, 10 people attending our large group would have been a good attendance night! How times have changed! We are all excited to see how ACF is going to grow and change even more this year!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Semester has Officially Started!
First year students moved in Friday morning...the rest of the students get back on Monday! YEAH! We have a lot of things already planned for ACF (Arcadia Christian Fellowship) so we can hit the ground running this year. Check out the flier we put up all around campus. Notice our brand new logo designed by a friend!
We are so excited about this semester and can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do!
We are so excited about this semester and can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Study Break
Last night we hosted a little study break for students. There is nothing like a cherry cobbler and a movie to get your mind off finals for a while! Here are a couple pictures.
This is Blaise, one of the students that accepted Christ last week. He had some questions about what he has been reading in his bible lately. It is really neat to see how the Holy Spirit is working in his life already! (This picture looks like it could have been staged...I promise you it was not!)
After the movie we began watching funny you tube videos. I am sure you know...this can last a while. We laughed until we were crying!
This is Blaise, one of the students that accepted Christ last week. He had some questions about what he has been reading in his bible lately. It is really neat to see how the Holy Spirit is working in his life already! (This picture looks like it could have been staged...I promise you it was not!)
After the movie we began watching funny you tube videos. I am sure you know...this can last a while. We laughed until we were crying!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
5-40-106 Challenge
Things are winding down here at Arcadia. Today is the first day of finals and many students will be gone by the end of the week. It has been an amazing year in so many ways. Our fellowship has almost tripled in size, several people have come to know the Lord, and those who already knew Him are seeking and longing to know Him more. What more could anyone ask?
Please pray for these students over the summer. It is easy to look at summer vacation as a break from everything. We think about trips to the beach, or lounging by the pool, but not usually about using this break from school work as an opportunity to spend more time in the Word.
That is why Greg created this challenge called 5-40-106. (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger)
Looks pretty cool, Huh? :)
Quote from the challenge:
In the challenge the students commit to pray for 5 of their friends, memorize 40 verses of Scripture, read 106 chapters from their Bibles and stay connected with someone who can keep them accountable.
Please pray for our students this summer as they take on this 5-40-106 challenge!
Please pray for these students over the summer. It is easy to look at summer vacation as a break from everything. We think about trips to the beach, or lounging by the pool, but not usually about using this break from school work as an opportunity to spend more time in the Word.
That is why Greg created this challenge called 5-40-106. (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger)
Looks pretty cool, Huh? :)
Quote from the challenge:
120 days between finals and fall semester. How do you want to be different 120 days from now? Do you want to return in 120 days exactly the same or closer to Jesus?
Don’t let 120 days away from God turn you into a shadow of who you are right now.
In the challenge the students commit to pray for 5 of their friends, memorize 40 verses of Scripture, read 106 chapters from their Bibles and stay connected with someone who can keep them accountable.
Please pray for our students this summer as they take on this 5-40-106 challenge!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Whew...
Whew...are we tired! It could have something to do with the 90 degree temps for the past few days but here is the rundown of the weekend.
Saturday I took 8 girls to our church's annual spring brunch. In addition to an AMAZING buffet we had the privilege of hearing Anita Keagy share her story. A few of the students I took were brand new believers (and one girl who is still searching) and the Lord touched their hearts in an amazing way! If you get a chance, I encourage you to check out her website or pick up her book.
We all left the brunch with a renewed desire to seek God first and to trust His plan for our lives even when life's consequences seem unbearable.
After the brunch, Caed had his Upwards basketball awards ceremony. It was fun. They had a kids comedian dancing around stage and making the kids laugh. After the ceremony we had our own little family celebration over a few cheese steaks!
Sunday we went to church and then I (Ashley) went to a bridal shower.
Whew. I need a nap just thinking about all the events of the weekend. No such luck...I am off to the grocery store. :)
Saturday I took 8 girls to our church's annual spring brunch. In addition to an AMAZING buffet we had the privilege of hearing Anita Keagy share her story. A few of the students I took were brand new believers (and one girl who is still searching) and the Lord touched their hearts in an amazing way! If you get a chance, I encourage you to check out her website or pick up her book.
We all left the brunch with a renewed desire to seek God first and to trust His plan for our lives even when life's consequences seem unbearable.
After the brunch, Caed had his Upwards basketball awards ceremony. It was fun. They had a kids comedian dancing around stage and making the kids laugh. After the ceremony we had our own little family celebration over a few cheese steaks!
Sunday we went to church and then I (Ashley) went to a bridal shower.
Whew. I need a nap just thinking about all the events of the weekend. No such luck...I am off to the grocery store. :)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Spring Blitz
We had a great time at Spring Blitz today. All of the clubs on campus have a table along the "walk of pride" on campus. They set up all kinds of activities like face painting, art projects, makeovers, and everyone's favorite GUITAR HERO! ACF's table featured art with recycled items like toilet paper roll bird feeders and Cereal box magazine holders. Abby made a bird feeder.
We also enjoyed LOTS of yummy treats. The kids had popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, and funnel cakes. Here is a picture of the kids eating funnel cakes. (The other children are friends from our apartment complex)
One of the big events of the day was the JELLO tug of war. Luckily this was only for Arcadia students! It was a funny sight! This is a picture of one of our friends who was on one of the losing teams!
There were also a few inflatables on the soccer field. Caed and his friends played gladiators!
It was such a fun day! Thanks to all of the girls who helped me out with the kids today! (Greg was out of town at a training so I took the kids by myself!)
We also enjoyed LOTS of yummy treats. The kids had popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, and funnel cakes. Here is a picture of the kids eating funnel cakes. (The other children are friends from our apartment complex)
One of the big events of the day was the JELLO tug of war. Luckily this was only for Arcadia students! It was a funny sight! This is a picture of one of our friends who was on one of the losing teams!
There were also a few inflatables on the soccer field. Caed and his friends played gladiators!
It was such a fun day! Thanks to all of the girls who helped me out with the kids today! (Greg was out of town at a training so I took the kids by myself!)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Pajama Party!
Thank you friends for your prayers friday night! They were answered in a way that I could never ask or imagine!
There were 20 girls that came for all or part of the night, including a couple that I had never met!
The night started with a fun game of Catchphrase...it is always a good ice breaker! Then we had a bit of a workout! I know this seems strange but one of the girls brought a Bollywoord workout DVD and we all tried it out. It was a lot of fun and even more laughs!
After a chocolate break we sat down for a short video.
(Hint-have a tissue ready!)
The theme of the night was the importance of authenticity in our community. This video highlights the importance of "running" with others. The concept of authenticity and community is something that this generation desperately wants but has a hard time finding.
The first part of the night we talked about the importance of authenticity. It was a thought provoking discussion. Later on in the night we had the opportunity to practice what we preached! By this time several people left to got back to their rooms to sleep so it was a smaller crowd. A couple girls shared their struggles and we had the privilege of lifting them up to our Father in prayer. One asked the simple and yet difficult question "How do I trust the Lord"? It was a precious time.
We wound up the night with one of our favortie movies... EVER AFTER! Bed time was about 3:15!
My favorite part of the sleepover is always breakfast the next morning. It was just a fun time of fellowship over coffee and an AMAZING breakfast casserole (Thanks Tammy!).
Thank you again for your prayers. PJ party night was a great time for the ladies of ACF to connect as we "run" together.
There were 20 girls that came for all or part of the night, including a couple that I had never met!
The night started with a fun game of Catchphrase...it is always a good ice breaker! Then we had a bit of a workout! I know this seems strange but one of the girls brought a Bollywoord workout DVD and we all tried it out. It was a lot of fun and even more laughs!
After a chocolate break we sat down for a short video.
(Hint-have a tissue ready!)
The theme of the night was the importance of authenticity in our community. This video highlights the importance of "running" with others. The concept of authenticity and community is something that this generation desperately wants but has a hard time finding.
The first part of the night we talked about the importance of authenticity. It was a thought provoking discussion. Later on in the night we had the opportunity to practice what we preached! By this time several people left to got back to their rooms to sleep so it was a smaller crowd. A couple girls shared their struggles and we had the privilege of lifting them up to our Father in prayer. One asked the simple and yet difficult question "How do I trust the Lord"? It was a precious time.
We wound up the night with one of our favortie movies... EVER AFTER! Bed time was about 3:15!
My favorite part of the sleepover is always breakfast the next morning. It was just a fun time of fellowship over coffee and an AMAZING breakfast casserole (Thanks Tammy!).
Thank you again for your prayers. PJ party night was a great time for the ladies of ACF to connect as we "run" together.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
It's that time again!
Friday night is our semiannual ACF girls Pajama Party! Greg is taking the kids to my parent's house just to avoid all the estrogen that will be around that night!
Seriously, this was a HUGE hit last semester and we are praying for an even better experience this weekend. Please pray for us as we talk about what it means to be authentic in today's world.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Debriefing and Arm-Wrestling
Last night was had a little pizza party here for the students who went to Jubilee this year. It was a time to talk about some of the things we heard over the weekend. Greg asked them all to answer two questions.
1. What is one thing you want to START doing as a result of the weekend?
2. What is one thing you want to STOP doing as a result of the weekend?
Their answers were encouraging. Some talked about pursuing excellence in all areas of their lives. Others asked for accountability for some of the things they would like to stop doing.
My answers were that I would start living like every square inch of my life belongs to the Lord and that I would stop avoiding uncomfortable situations b/c it is only in the tension that I can learn.
Oh, and the arm wrestling was over the last chocolate chip cookie...who can blame them?
1. What is one thing you want to START doing as a result of the weekend?
2. What is one thing you want to STOP doing as a result of the weekend?
Their answers were encouraging. Some talked about pursuing excellence in all areas of their lives. Others asked for accountability for some of the things they would like to stop doing.
My answers were that I would start living like every square inch of my life belongs to the Lord and that I would stop avoiding uncomfortable situations b/c it is only in the tension that I can learn.
Oh, and the arm wrestling was over the last chocolate chip cookie...who can blame them?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jubilee this weekend!
www.jubileeconference.com
We are taking 18 students to CCO's annual Jubilee conference in Pittsburgh this weekend. Please pray for safety in travel, and that our students would be greatly impacted by the whole idea of academic faithfulness!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
10TH Annual Superbowl party!
Ok, so the Cardinals did not win, but we had a BLAST! We had about 30 people over for the game. There was a ridiculous amount of food that disappeared at an alarming rate! It was definitely an exciting game to watch. Here are a few pics.
Abby helped me make the Snicker Brownies
We PACKED them in!(FYI Those are root beer bottles :))
Cole and I enjoying the game...and the rice krispy treats!
Abby helped me make the Snicker Brownies
We PACKED them in!(FYI Those are root beer bottles :))
Cole and I enjoying the game...and the rice krispy treats!
Friday, December 5, 2008
ACF Christmas Party
Last night was our 2nd annual ACF Christmas Party here at our apartment. The theme for this party was "Christmas Sweaters", everyone was to find the best...or worst...Christmas sweater and rock it for the evening. We had some real winners...
My personal favorite was sported by our ACF president CJ. She wore a vest with scotty dogs wearing their own bad Christmas Sweaters...there are soo many things wrong with that!
We had a great time over food and a never ending game of Apples to Apples.
Here is a group shot of all of the bad sweaters for your viewing pleasure.
It has been a great semester for ACF. We have seen our group more than double in size and our community grow in fellowship and faith. We are excited to see how the Lord is going to grow us all even more next semester!
My personal favorite was sported by our ACF president CJ. She wore a vest with scotty dogs wearing their own bad Christmas Sweaters...there are soo many things wrong with that!
We had a great time over food and a never ending game of Apples to Apples.
Here is a group shot of all of the bad sweaters for your viewing pleasure.
It has been a great semester for ACF. We have seen our group more than double in size and our community grow in fellowship and faith. We are excited to see how the Lord is going to grow us all even more next semester!
Monday, October 27, 2008
What a weekend!
I am writing this blog at 4:30 on Monday afternoon and I am still recovering from our crazy but fun weekend!
Friday night I (Ashley) hosted a girls slumber party for the ACF (Arcadia Christian Fellowship) group. We had a great time. We had about 20 girls here for yummy food, games and a very impactful heart to heart talk about relationships. The Lord was in the middle of it all. Here are a couple pictures.
Saturday night Greg and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary with a nice dinner out at Texas Roadhouse. My Dad was nice enough to keep Caed and Abigail for a second night and we had a friend come over to watch Cole.
Sunday after church we had our 2nd annual Pumpkins and Pizza event with our college/20 somethings group from church. Here are a few pics...
Here are a few of the pumpkins we carved!
Friday night I (Ashley) hosted a girls slumber party for the ACF (Arcadia Christian Fellowship) group. We had a great time. We had about 20 girls here for yummy food, games and a very impactful heart to heart talk about relationships. The Lord was in the middle of it all. Here are a couple pictures.
Saturday night Greg and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary with a nice dinner out at Texas Roadhouse. My Dad was nice enough to keep Caed and Abigail for a second night and we had a friend come over to watch Cole.
Sunday after church we had our 2nd annual Pumpkins and Pizza event with our college/20 somethings group from church. Here are a few pics...
Here are a few of the pumpkins we carved!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Poems by Renneth
Renneth is a student at Arcadia who is involved with our ACF group. She has shared several of her poems at our monthly coffee house. I asked for her permission to share a couple. Here they are...
The Sound of Worship
By Renneth Grey
Oh Lord, My God
How can I begin to describe your Glory?
The King, spoke heralds of you in psalms
Shouting, “forget not all his benefits!,”
“He who heals our diseases!”
“He who forgives our iniquities!”
Like this, I will praise you my God.
You gave your creation
That sound of worship
Which pours from the harp of ancient Israel’s king David
It flows from the piano of the contemporary Marty Goetz
Reminding Zion of your honor and faithfulness
Like in David’s music, I will praise you
In Goetz Sanctuary, I will give you the Shechkinah
In my own way Lord
I will give you the sound of worship.
The Persecuted Church
By Renneth Grey
Everyday throughout the world
Many say the name of Jesus
Some as a curse
Expressing the anger dwelt within
Some as a name of power
That flows in those that believe
This name of power
Turns into a name of hope
Hope that is Evident
Even in the furnace of persecution.
Suffering encompasses all
But few suffer for him.
Suffering means dying
To your will and your ways
Taking upon a new life
Following the one
that was slain, rejected,
And scorned .
For this reason
Hard is this path.
At times it means loneliness
At times it means death.
Why follow such a bitter road?
When one could rest on the great meadows
Blossoming in the world’s vanity.
For to follow the bitter road,
Is truly life.
The Sound of Worship
By Renneth Grey
Oh Lord, My God
How can I begin to describe your Glory?
The King, spoke heralds of you in psalms
Shouting, “forget not all his benefits!,”
“He who heals our diseases!”
“He who forgives our iniquities!”
Like this, I will praise you my God.
You gave your creation
That sound of worship
Which pours from the harp of ancient Israel’s king David
It flows from the piano of the contemporary Marty Goetz
Reminding Zion of your honor and faithfulness
Like in David’s music, I will praise you
In Goetz Sanctuary, I will give you the Shechkinah
In my own way Lord
I will give you the sound of worship.
The Persecuted Church
By Renneth Grey
Everyday throughout the world
Many say the name of Jesus
Some as a curse
Expressing the anger dwelt within
Some as a name of power
That flows in those that believe
This name of power
Turns into a name of hope
Hope that is Evident
Even in the furnace of persecution.
Suffering encompasses all
But few suffer for him.
Suffering means dying
To your will and your ways
Taking upon a new life
Following the one
that was slain, rejected,
And scorned .
For this reason
Hard is this path.
At times it means loneliness
At times it means death.
Why follow such a bitter road?
When one could rest on the great meadows
Blossoming in the world’s vanity.
For to follow the bitter road,
Is truly life.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Loving Homosexuals Part 2
I wasn’t able to attend Chad Thompson’s talk because of a CCO staff seminar in the Pittsburgh area during the time he was in town. However, from the reports of several students, it was well attended. You can imagine the excitement of the 10-14 students who regularly attend the Arcadia Christian Fellowship (ACF) meetings when almost 50 students came to hear Chad speak. In fact, one professor brought her entire Pluralism class!
Chad brought a message of compassion and love. His encouragement to the Church related to how we go to such great lengths to convey our biblical position of homosexuality being wrong that we diminish the message of love in the process. The Christian community (particularly on college campuses, where the urgency of declaring sides often trumps the art of diplomacy) has disproportionately emphasized “hating the sin” over “love the sinner”.
Our students were excited about Chad’s talk, as well as some one-on-one discussions that took place afterwards. They were encouraged by the event and hopeful that new dialog will begin as a result.
Chad brought a message of compassion and love. His encouragement to the Church related to how we go to such great lengths to convey our biblical position of homosexuality being wrong that we diminish the message of love in the process. The Christian community (particularly on college campuses, where the urgency of declaring sides often trumps the art of diplomacy) has disproportionately emphasized “hating the sin” over “love the sinner”.
Our students were excited about Chad’s talk, as well as some one-on-one discussions that took place afterwards. They were encouraged by the event and hopeful that new dialog will begin as a result.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Next on the Arcadia Agenda...
On Thursday, April 3rd Arcadia Christian Fellowship is hosting Chad Thompson, author of "Loving Homosexuals As Jesus Would" and regular speaker. We heard him share some of his testimony (formerly homosexual) at the Jubilee Conference in February and thought his message would open some lines of communication within the Arcadia community. The gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) representation on campus is strong, and since the discussion of homosexuality and Christianity is such a hot topic, we have committed this event to much prayer. Read below for more on Chad and his mesage...
Chad Thompson is author of the book Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would. His book tries to bridge the gap between the evangelical world and the gay and lesbian community; To show LGBT people that Christians who oppose them politically are not always motivated by hatred or homophobia, and to challenge conservative Christians to put aside their plastic rhetoric and show the LGBT community a kind of love that produces true humanitarianism. Chad has appeared in Time Magazine, World Magazine, Charisma Magazine, Christianity Today, The Washington Times, Townhall.com, and Outreach Magazine named Chad’s book the best target ministry resource of 2004.
You can check out his website at www.lovinghomosexuals.com
Chad Thompson is author of the book Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would. His book tries to bridge the gap between the evangelical world and the gay and lesbian community; To show LGBT people that Christians who oppose them politically are not always motivated by hatred or homophobia, and to challenge conservative Christians to put aside their plastic rhetoric and show the LGBT community a kind of love that produces true humanitarianism. Chad has appeared in Time Magazine, World Magazine, Charisma Magazine, Christianity Today, The Washington Times, Townhall.com, and Outreach Magazine named Chad’s book the best target ministry resource of 2004.
You can check out his website at www.lovinghomosexuals.com
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